Online Press Releases vs. Local Media – Which is More Effective?

If you have a tight advertising budget, then stretching every dollar is important. This is where the argument between using online press releases or the local media advertisement comes into the picture. There are a variety of factors to look into such as the cost, content, amount of control you’ll be given, longevity or shelf life of the campaign, and level of trust you can establish with the audience using the tactic. Below, we’ll expound more on these factors to help you make the right decision:

• Cost – in terms of cost, using online press releases definitely goes a long way compared to local media advertisements. This is especially true if you write the press release yourself and use free tools to distribute and promote your business.
• Content – while ads should be creative, catchy, and designed to persuade people to buy, the press release should basically be written in a news style format. It is important to be careful with the wordings of the press release because you don’t want site editor to think that it’s all hype. Press release can be about self-promotion but you must do it in a subtle way – otherwise, it goes to the trashcan.
• Control – since you pay for the advertisements, you’re given complete control over how your ads will appear. In the case of press release, you’ll have limited control over how the content will appear on websites. But take note that it is possible to use a paid distribution service that allows you to include links, images, or even attachments to your press release. These features are always a plus.
• Longevity – local media advertisements last a day. When it comes to longevity, online press release is the winner. This is because once the PR is syndicated by distribution websites, it will be posted on the web indefinitely for as long as the web owners chose to host their sites.
• Trustworthiness – when you place an ad in the local media, everyone knows that this is paid exposure. On the other hand, press releases are seen as more as an informational piece; and indeed it is. So on that score, using online press releases is useful if you want to establish a deeper relationship with the target market.
• Internet Exposure – on the internet, you can benefit on many fronts if you use press releases. This is because aside from making readers aware about the developments within your firm, it also gives your company website a stronger web presence. Online press releases are useful for link building, search engine optimization, and social media marketing.

So given all these, which marketing strategy is better for your company? Larger companies will undoubtedly benefit from combining the two tactics. But if you have to choose one, then it might be a better idea to opt for online press releases because it is more affordable and give better value for your dollars over an extended period.